‘Give reward points for eco-friendliness’
A LEADING geologist has called on the Government to offer the public incentives to protect the environment.
Professor Mark Maslin said people could be given points for recycling, which could be exchanged for a reward.
He suggested the idea during a debate at the Cheltenham Science Festival on the impact of humans on the planet and how carbon use and climate change can be tackled.
Prof Maslin cited the example of the social credit system in China and said a similar model could be adopted in the UK to get more people to think about the environment.
“Why shouldn’t you get credit points for recycling, looking after your children properly, making sure they do their homework?” he said.
Prof Maslin, a professor of climatology at University College London, raised the proposal after co-panellist Prof Adam Hart suggested that if people spent three days working on an environmental project in their community they should get 3% off their tax bill.
Prof Georgina Mace, professor of biodiversity and ecosystems at University College London, said there were many different ways to limit the impact of mankind on the planet.
“With all these solutions you need to make it easy for people to do the right thing,” she said.
“We need to do that with the environment and prioritise environmental incentives and innovations, such as making it easy for people to have low-carbon footprints, eat food that isn’t damaging to soils and water.
“Rather than making it punitive and restrictive, make it easy and encouraging.”
They all rejected the idea of an individual “carbon budget”.
“It wouldn’t work because it would be unequal,” Prof Maslin said.
“The problem is most normal people cannot understand the tax system in this country. If you happen to be slightly better off, you pay an accountant to fiddle your taxes to make sure you pay the least amount of tax.
“If you had a carbon budget, you would do the same. Therefore it isn’t equally shared in one society.
“Government should embed it into the tax system. If you want a high carbon-producing car then you whack on a load of tax. Then people have choices and it is a financial incentive.
“You must think about a society where people are not able to equally able to access knowledge and finances.”